The Game Had Only Just Begun

The Demon Emperor stood motionless. The mocking amusement on his face had vanished, replaced by a profound chill and contemplation. He stood with his hands behind his back, his gaze once more fixed on the distorted void beyond the window. Deep in his pupils, countless stars seemed to be born and die, countless schemes weaving together.

"Not Xuanyuan..." he murmured, his voice so soft that only he could hear it. "Shura's reaction was off... What was he hiding? The Eastern Domain... Lin Tianya... Lin Hao... Blue Star... Lin Tianxiao..."

One name after another, one fragment of intelligence after another, collided and were rapidly pieced together within his vast consciousness, which rivaled the turning of the stars. The last, indistinct message sent by the Shadow Demon before his death... The sudden betrayal and explosive strength of Lin Tianxiao and his wife... That earth-shattering golden sword light, seemingly imbued with the power of Xuanyuan... And Shura's abnormal "tacit acceptance" and warning...

A flash of insight, like lightning suddenly streaking across a dark universe, illuminated a blind spot in his thoughts that had never quite connected.

"Could it be..." The Demon Emperor's pupils suddenly contracted to pinpoints.

He spun around, his gaze sweeping over the Demon Venerables still prostrate and trembling below like the coldest of rays.

"Send the order!" His voice was no longer calm. Instead, it carried the deadly urgency of a storm about to break. "Use every sleeper we have, regardless of the cost, and investigate Azure Firmament Academy on the Sacred Martial Continent and Lin Tianya! No... investigate everything connected to 'Lin Hao' and 'Blue Star'! Especially... any possible connection between him and ancient Xuanyuan or Shura! I want to know every part of his history, every leap in his strength, and every person who has appeared by his